Well, that looks like a couch potato kitty to me, with his remote control. What is the alternative if you can't find another home for them? A shelter? I took a stray kitten to a shelter and told them I'd take it back if no one adopted it. Someone did adopt it, thank heavens.

As long as the new owners are sure to spay or neuter the cats, they should be okay. Are there other cats there? Are they "fixed"? It will be a much happier existence for all if they are. I bet the kids hanging around the barn will play with the kittens.

As long as they are fed and their health is attended to, I think they will be happy in the barn. It's hard to find homes for kittens, so i think I would accept this offer.

Oh crap, he's cute! Where's the other little baby?

I think a farm would be a good alternative. Living outdoors, hunting, room to roam (well, that happens) is a chance at a good life for an outdoor kitty. Yes, ask if they will spay/neuter. Do they have other farm cats? Sometimes it takes awhile for the others to accept newcomers into their territory; but if I were in your situation I would give the kittens a chance at farm life.

They are both still with me until Sunday.
I have asked everyone I know (even cashiers at Tractor Supply and the grocery store!)
I have posted on FB almost everyday and friends-of-friends have also posted on their walls..I think they are getting tired of me!
I have called 2 no-kill shelters that are full.
I called the Humane League and they must be 2 pounds before they will take them...and they still may be subject to euthanization (not happening)
The farm is the only good option I have. (unless Jasdip wants to meet me at the border :)

I wouldn't hesitate to send them to a farm. But, in the interest of fairness, I've lived many years on a working farm and had many outdoor farm cats. I'd say life is good and life is happy for an outdoor cat living in a barn. It can't get much better then that! At the same time, life is more dangerous for any outdoor cat, town, farm, or ferile. There is a danger of being run over by a vehicle or attacked by an animal (either domestic or wild). Either can result in death or terrible injury. If you send the kittens to the farm, and keep in touch with the new owner, be prepared in that you might someday receive such bad news.

I've forgotten how old the kittens are? I believe you did say they were eating solid food now? Other than that, from your photo he/she looks pretty young still. I wonder if the farmers will keep a watch on them for awhile to make sure other farm cat bullies won't pick on them or keep them from food. I still believe it's a good option tho.

Oh, jel48 must have posted at the same time. :)

I'd ask questions;
have they had cats out there before?
how long did those cats last?
are there coyotes, owls, hawks, other predators in your area?
do they spay/neuter?
what do they feed?
etc

I wish you the best.

(I my own self would keep that cute thing!)

Ditto to dedtired and jel48.

I know their life span won't be as long as an indoor cat; sad but true.

Wishing for the best outcome. (((salgal)))

I always feel kind of sorry for the cats that are stuck in the house - lol!

Just a different perspective. We have farm cats. Some are wild some are more "pets" and stick closer to the house. They serve a very important purpose for us. They kill rats and other rodents. We never put poison out and try very hard to keep trappers from setting traps in our ditches where the cats prowl.

We do vaccinate our kitties and make sure they have clean water and food. We even keep litter boxes in our machine sheds and they self train! Love that!

I think people are getting so far removed from nature - or they want to make nature fit their idea of what it should be. To me, it sounds like your kitties will have a very nice home to go to.

I'm just wondering here. What is their objection to house cats? Also, if you would be willing to have them spayed/neutered, and or ask them if they will share the cost.

I consider house cats as pets or companions; outdoor cats, I don't know, maybe just good mousers?

Good luck finding them a home.

Sue

I feel sorry for barn cats. My cousin had many barn cats and they either disappeared when they were small (to hawks, etc.) or they got run over. Eventually, distemper starting killing many of them. My cousin did not spay, neuter or vaccinate any of the barn cats.
No need to feel sorry for indoor cats. They live long lives and are pampered. They have all the comforts we humans have.

For some farmers barn cats are a necessity. They keep the rats and other rodents at bay without the use of poisons. Since this family has small child I would think that these babies will be well loved and socialize. I would ask about them having them fixed and keeping them on their shots and on flea control...
I am sure they will be fine..having 2 rescues tell you they are full and then having a kill shelter being the only one willing to take them in..your options really are limited

If this is your only option and they will be euthanized, I guess I'd do it. They will not be loving family members being barn cats. Wild animals prey on cats and IMO it's not a good idea, but better than not having any chance. Shelters are full now because of irresponsible epeoople who don't neuter. >>My indoor cats live a wonderful life with routine they all love. Right now they are living in AC comfort awhile outside cats are panting looking for water. In the winter they cuddle by the woodstove while poor barn cats shiver. But if it's a choice between life or death, I'd let them go to the barn.

ok here is the situation they were out door wild cats when you took them in. So yes they will be fine at a farm but I would encourage having them fixed as soon as possible so as not to start a population explosion.

We feed the feral cats behind us they have babies and bring them over for water and food, I would love to catch the little ones and try to find homes for them but those little things run like the wind, me I don't run at all LOL

So don't worry they are naturally adapted for outdoor they will love it, places to play and hunt and explore, all our farm cats were fat and happy! Daddy used to shoot milk right into their open mouths from the cow as he was milking they would line up!

You gave them a good healthy head start you have to just let go and let nature do her thing.

Maybe I'm the odd man out but I really, really oppose sending them to be outside farm cats.....I've lived on a farm (when growing up) and too many cats are either injured or killed by cattle stepping on them or killed by other critters...It's not a good life....

I can see your point about not having more cats but, I'd sure make room for them....It is a proven fact, outside cats have a much shorter life span compared to inside fur babies....And I also believe, instead of putting a cat outside to live, it would be more humane to have it put to sleep, as awful as it sounds.....

Good luck with whatever you decide......

I will echo the people who have said that barn cats, in general, have much shorter life spans. Plus, the kitten in your picture appears to be around 6 weeks old. Sending a kitten that young to a barn situation without the protection of its mother is a sure death sentence. If its mother was around to teach it how to hunt and to help protect it, it would have a chance to survive. But a kitten that young that has been raised and cared for in the house would have no chance whatsoever. If you do want to send them to be barn cats, please wait until they are around 6 months old at least.

Do it, A cat does just fine as a barn cat and is probably more happy than confined to someones house.....

The vet has determined their age to be (now) almost 5 weeks.
I only brought them in the house on Sunday, so it will be 1 week from the time I found them to handing them over.
I want to ask her if she can partition off an area in the house or barn so that they can stay safe for a couple more weeks to grow.
I also want to make sure she spays them as soon as possible for their own safety (and of course not to reproduce) and I would be willing to help pay for that.
I know myself well enough that if I hold on much longer, it will be impossible for me to part with them.
I just simply do not want 5 cats. That's 5 to feed, clean litter boxes, sleep with me, vet visits...I just dont want the extra work and expense.
I would rather give them a chance than not.
I will get over it, it's just hard.
But I really dont want updates on how they are doing. I am better off not knowing.

I for one would rather live a risky life than penned up in a building or a place like NYC. They will love the freedom and nature as much as I would.

Taking them to the farm is just fine with a few precautions. (In my youth, I lived on a farm and we had barn cats.)

Judging by the age of the kitten in the photo, he is too young to fend for himself among a bunch of stanger cats. Cats are very jealous of their home turf and may fight this little urchin. For the first few weeks, prepare a place for them to rest and sleep near the house. let them gradually intregrate with the established catdom.

Wild cats that are not mcuh 'tamed' rarely get run over or stepped on; They are too wary and untrusting. It is the highly 'tamed' cats, the pets, that meet with untoward accidents. When a cat is petted and highly loved, it may become too trusting thus setting it up for accidents. Young cats can be come too truating and my not move out of the way of rolling vehicle wheels or a lumbering cow. These are the cats that may be maimed or killed.

With 4 and 7 yr old children, you can bet these kitties will be loved and petted. If handled gently and often, these kitties will become trusting lap cats and will need a slow introduction to the barn to become established barn cats. They will have become dependent upon humans as their caretakers and will constantly underfoot when you are out doors.

Cats are hunters by instinct with the females being more businesslike about the chore. However, cats that have not been taught what to do may have to go through a long learning curve and some may be too timid to become good hunters. It is mother cat who teaches her children about prey. When the kits become old enough to take on meat, she will bring home a mauled, but not yet dead mouse for the kits to practice on. If the kits do not finish the mouse, mother cat will and then the kits feed on the remains. By this process, mother cat teaches hew kits about prey and what to do with it. Your little kits will be missing this training, therefore, one can expect it will take longer for them to adapt to being a member of the barn cat gang.

It's a sure death sentence to send them to the barn when they're this young without a mother to teach them. As far as home only kept cats,it's crazy to suggest they are less well off. It's 100 degrees outside now. My four cats are all sleeping in 74 degree comfort. They don't get in accidents, aren't run over by cars, don't fight with other cats and get infected bites, don't get into pesticides or poisons, aren't harassed and tortured by people who hate cats, don't get caught in steel jawed traps. They all live long happy lives on peoples laps, not cowering afraid..hot in the summer... freezing in the winter.

Could you post a picture of them on Petfinder. I got my two rescued dogs there as well as some of my cats. You can put your area code in and people within your radius might respond.

A 6-week-old kitten is too young to re-home (needs to be 8 weeks at least).

If he's tossed into the environment with other cats without structure (adult humans making sure he's safe), this baby won't last a month.

You must get some answers:

Children aren't an unmixed blessing;
often they make very good pet "owners", but not always.
Unless the children are supervised, the kitten may be manhandled & hurt.
He'll learn to dodge the kids, & they'll grab for him, & he'll hiss/growl/spit/scratch/bite, & that'll be the last of him.

Will the parents take care of the kitten, or will they use it to "teach the children responsibility"?

Will they keep the kitten inside until he's too big for a hawk or owl to carry?
Will they keep him safe from predators once he's grown?

Will they feed him an adequate diet or do they plan to feed him just a little to keep him around, thinking that hunger will make him a better mouser? (It won't.)

Is he to be a pet or a barn cat?
(pet cats living on a farm are one thing, "barn cats" are another-As many people have said, barn cats don't last long.)

Find out what has happened to cats these people have had in the past;
there may be a dismal reason they're in the market for kittens.

I once talked to a couple who had just moved to the country, & they were very glad to hear I had a couple of kitties someone had abandoned at a gas station in my little town.

"Sure! bring 'em on! We'd love to have them!"
but they just wouldn't stop talking:
"We can always use barn cats; the coyotes are always wiping them out, but people always have throw-away litters."

I agree they are kind of young to turn loose. The people I know that had barn cats fed them. They didn't just let them fend for themselves.

PLEASE pay attention to what Sylvia tells you -- she has pet expertise and compassion for kitty cats.

I agree that your kittens are much to young to re-home, fend for themselves or defend themselves in an outdoor farm cat situation.

PLEASE keep them at least another three weeks, and that will give you more time to find people who will keep them as beloved pets, indoors.

I have outside/barn cats and they do fine....however, I agree, these kittens are too young. I'd keep them a few more weeks. Also, it is best to keep new cats confined to an area for a couple of weeks before releasing them.

I agree that they are much too young to be put outside in a barn. We live in town and have hawks flying over our house all the time. Our neighbor bought a maltese puppy and said the breeder had lost a pup to a hawk. There are just too many predators around, especially without a mother to protect them. Not to mention feline leukemia and all the other diseases that outdoor cats can catch. We were happy with just two cats, and my husband found three kittens at work. They were 3 to 4 weeks old. He managed to talk a co-worker into taking one of them. I don't regret taking the other two for one second. They add so much to our household, even though we scoop poop several times a day, have huge litter boxes all over, and all the furniture is covered in cat hair. Yes, they are an expense we didn't need, and trouble we didn't want, but they more than make up for it. I'm glad we didn't find another home for them.